Lake Forest’s team effort halts Waukegan
Youth, veterans, help Scouts close conference play in style
By Matt Misiek
LAKE FOREST-- Monday night was Senior Night on the West Campus of Lake Forest High School. The hosts welcomed Waukegan for the final North Suburban Conference battle of the season for each team.
Inside the entrance of Varsity Field, posters were hung along the fence line honoring the senior players for the contributions they made over their careers. They notated memories of each senior's school life and soccer life.
The Scouts, ranked ninth in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll, did everything they could to create more lasting memories, as well as make it a picture-perfect evening for their fans. A complete offensive and defensive display steered Lake Forest to an 8-0 victory.
Waukegan (4-16-1, 1-6-0), fresh off of a defeat against Lake Forest Academy, received stellar play early from their goalkeeper, senior Adriana Guerrero, who was forced into two point-blank saves in the first five minutes. The first stop came against Delaney Williams from the right side of the 18. The second came on a one-on-one opportunity for sophomore forward Kate Reinhardt, who saw her drive punched behind for a corner.
“They (Lake Forest) have a really good team,” said Guerrero. “They play a lot of run-ins and through-balls, and I needed to work on those and reading them out and trying to catch them.”
That ensuing corner kick for Lake Forest (10-4-1, 5-2-0) brought them the first breakthrough at the 5:15 mark. Midfielder Priscilla Levy’s corner from the left was headed to the turf before being tapped into the net by Reinhardt.
The Bulldogs’ best scoring chance of the game came shortly afterwards. Forward Lizette Popoca made some nice individual moves into the 18 and fired a shot that made Scout goalkeeper Cassidy Shaul dive to the left to make the save.
“I definitely think that the first half, we played a really strong game,” said Waukegan head coach Rachel Brennan. “However, one of our weaknesses is finishing. After not being able to get into the scoring zone, we just slowed down a little bit.”
The Scouts kept shooting at Guerrero but were unable to find a breakthrough. At the 25:47 mark, Williams drew a penalty after being tripped in the box. However, the senior midfielder skyed the spot kick over the crossbar and the score remained 1-0.
It stayed that way until the 34th minute. Sophomore midfielder Leland Keller pounced on a loose ball on the right side of the 18 and blasted a high drive past Guerrero. The shot drew praise from the Waukegan bench as well.
The goal from Keller was the boost that gave the Scouts some breathing room and allowed them to work going forward.
“I got a really good pass at my foot, I took a touch and took the shot,” said Keller, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for her game-changing score. “It just went over the keeper. It definitely boosted our confidence. It really helped us slow down the game and play our game.”
With sophomores scoring the first two goals, the next minute brought on a freshman-to-senior combination. Class of 2020 midfielder Nicole Doucette, who subbed in six minutes earlier and lined up along the left side, played a perfect through-ball to an onside Williams in full-stride. The soon-to-be graduate made no mistake this time and slotted the ball past Guerrero.
“She’s just a great player,” said Williams of Doucette. “She’s one of my favorite players to play with. When she passes me the ball, it’s always a perfect setup at my feet and a perfect setup for a goal.”
Doucette, naturally, returned serve of the complement back to her counterpart.
“I cut in, and I saw Delaney making a run,” said Doucette. “I hit the ball between two defenders and Delaney made a perfect touch and a perfect goal.”
Williams added a second goal in the 37th minute. After receiving the ball with her back towards goal, she did a half turn to her left and spun away from the Bulldog defense and fired it past Guerrero.
In the second half, Scouts captain and DePaul recruit Gwen Walker converted a spot kick after a foul in the box in the 44th minute. Later on, Williams secured her hat trick on Senior Night by tallying the team’s sixth goal of the game off of a terrific pass from Reinhardt.
After seeing several shots stopped, Doucette scored a tally of her own that drew tremendous cheers from the bench. More cheers came with 23 seconds left as senior Elena Walker closed the scoring with a drive of her own.
“I’ve learned a lot,” said Doucette of her veteran teammates. “These players are amazing. They have the dedication, they have the heart, and they know how to play. I’ve learned that mentality that you want to win every single game.”
The confidence that the Scouts showed can be traced back to Saturday’s matchup with New Trier. The Trevians, ranked no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, could not dent the Scouts' defense and were held to a scoreless draw.
“We recognize how hard we work,” said Walker. “That result (against New Trier) wasn’t luck. It was sweat. It was so many hours of work put in for moments like that. We weren’t surprised; we worked for those moments. And we were just proud of the way we were able to execute and carry out that result.”
One common phrase came to mind for Williams and Walker when asked about this group of players.
“This team is unique,” said Walker. “They are very special. On Senior Night, to have everyone have their own special moment is fantastic.”
“It’s been a special year,” said Williams. “This has been one of the closest knit teams that I have been on in my four years of soccer. We are young, and the hardest-working team I know. We will never give up.”
Starting lineups
Lake Forest
GK: Cassidy Shaul
D: Christina Gregg
D: Gwen Walker
D: Sarah Bires
MF: Priscilla Levy
MF: Hannah Bell
MF: Allison Weber
MF: Quinn Sokol
MF: Delaney Williams
F: Kylie Murray
F: Elena Walker
Waukegan
GK: Adriana Guerrero
D: Kristy Ochoa
D: Adriana Campa
D: Elise Flores
MF: Samantha Gutierrez
MF: Ashley Reyes
MF: D.J. Juarez
MF: Stephanie Martinez
MF: Isabel Ramirez
F: Lizette Popoca
F: Judibett Montalvo
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Leland Keller, so., MF, Lake Forest
Officials: Damian Blasberg (center); Vladimir Dubinsky; Mario Castillo
Youth, veterans, help Scouts close conference play in style
By Matt Misiek
LAKE FOREST-- Monday night was Senior Night on the West Campus of Lake Forest High School. The hosts welcomed Waukegan for the final North Suburban Conference battle of the season for each team.
Inside the entrance of Varsity Field, posters were hung along the fence line honoring the senior players for the contributions they made over their careers. They notated memories of each senior's school life and soccer life.
The Scouts, ranked ninth in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll, did everything they could to create more lasting memories, as well as make it a picture-perfect evening for their fans. A complete offensive and defensive display steered Lake Forest to an 8-0 victory.
Waukegan (4-16-1, 1-6-0), fresh off of a defeat against Lake Forest Academy, received stellar play early from their goalkeeper, senior Adriana Guerrero, who was forced into two point-blank saves in the first five minutes. The first stop came against Delaney Williams from the right side of the 18. The second came on a one-on-one opportunity for sophomore forward Kate Reinhardt, who saw her drive punched behind for a corner.
“They (Lake Forest) have a really good team,” said Guerrero. “They play a lot of run-ins and through-balls, and I needed to work on those and reading them out and trying to catch them.”
That ensuing corner kick for Lake Forest (10-4-1, 5-2-0) brought them the first breakthrough at the 5:15 mark. Midfielder Priscilla Levy’s corner from the left was headed to the turf before being tapped into the net by Reinhardt.
The Bulldogs’ best scoring chance of the game came shortly afterwards. Forward Lizette Popoca made some nice individual moves into the 18 and fired a shot that made Scout goalkeeper Cassidy Shaul dive to the left to make the save.
“I definitely think that the first half, we played a really strong game,” said Waukegan head coach Rachel Brennan. “However, one of our weaknesses is finishing. After not being able to get into the scoring zone, we just slowed down a little bit.”
The Scouts kept shooting at Guerrero but were unable to find a breakthrough. At the 25:47 mark, Williams drew a penalty after being tripped in the box. However, the senior midfielder skyed the spot kick over the crossbar and the score remained 1-0.
It stayed that way until the 34th minute. Sophomore midfielder Leland Keller pounced on a loose ball on the right side of the 18 and blasted a high drive past Guerrero. The shot drew praise from the Waukegan bench as well.
The goal from Keller was the boost that gave the Scouts some breathing room and allowed them to work going forward.
“I got a really good pass at my foot, I took a touch and took the shot,” said Keller, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor for her game-changing score. “It just went over the keeper. It definitely boosted our confidence. It really helped us slow down the game and play our game.”
With sophomores scoring the first two goals, the next minute brought on a freshman-to-senior combination. Class of 2020 midfielder Nicole Doucette, who subbed in six minutes earlier and lined up along the left side, played a perfect through-ball to an onside Williams in full-stride. The soon-to-be graduate made no mistake this time and slotted the ball past Guerrero.
“She’s just a great player,” said Williams of Doucette. “She’s one of my favorite players to play with. When she passes me the ball, it’s always a perfect setup at my feet and a perfect setup for a goal.”
Doucette, naturally, returned serve of the complement back to her counterpart.
“I cut in, and I saw Delaney making a run,” said Doucette. “I hit the ball between two defenders and Delaney made a perfect touch and a perfect goal.”
Williams added a second goal in the 37th minute. After receiving the ball with her back towards goal, she did a half turn to her left and spun away from the Bulldog defense and fired it past Guerrero.
In the second half, Scouts captain and DePaul recruit Gwen Walker converted a spot kick after a foul in the box in the 44th minute. Later on, Williams secured her hat trick on Senior Night by tallying the team’s sixth goal of the game off of a terrific pass from Reinhardt.
After seeing several shots stopped, Doucette scored a tally of her own that drew tremendous cheers from the bench. More cheers came with 23 seconds left as senior Elena Walker closed the scoring with a drive of her own.
“I’ve learned a lot,” said Doucette of her veteran teammates. “These players are amazing. They have the dedication, they have the heart, and they know how to play. I’ve learned that mentality that you want to win every single game.”
The confidence that the Scouts showed can be traced back to Saturday’s matchup with New Trier. The Trevians, ranked no. 4 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, could not dent the Scouts' defense and were held to a scoreless draw.
“We recognize how hard we work,” said Walker. “That result (against New Trier) wasn’t luck. It was sweat. It was so many hours of work put in for moments like that. We weren’t surprised; we worked for those moments. And we were just proud of the way we were able to execute and carry out that result.”
One common phrase came to mind for Williams and Walker when asked about this group of players.
“This team is unique,” said Walker. “They are very special. On Senior Night, to have everyone have their own special moment is fantastic.”
“It’s been a special year,” said Williams. “This has been one of the closest knit teams that I have been on in my four years of soccer. We are young, and the hardest-working team I know. We will never give up.”
Starting lineups
Lake Forest
GK: Cassidy Shaul
D: Christina Gregg
D: Gwen Walker
D: Sarah Bires
MF: Priscilla Levy
MF: Hannah Bell
MF: Allison Weber
MF: Quinn Sokol
MF: Delaney Williams
F: Kylie Murray
F: Elena Walker
Waukegan
GK: Adriana Guerrero
D: Kristy Ochoa
D: Adriana Campa
D: Elise Flores
MF: Samantha Gutierrez
MF: Ashley Reyes
MF: D.J. Juarez
MF: Stephanie Martinez
MF: Isabel Ramirez
F: Lizette Popoca
F: Judibett Montalvo
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Leland Keller, so., MF, Lake Forest
Officials: Damian Blasberg (center); Vladimir Dubinsky; Mario Castillo